History for 17-Year-Old Kouame, The Youngest Man to Ever Win a Match in Miami
Looks like we have another rising force to watch on the ATP Tour!
17 year old French wildcard Moise Kouame made his Masters 1000 main draw debut in Miami, and came away with a slice of history.
The World No.385 defeated Zachary Svajda to become the youngest Masters 1000 match winner since Rafael Nadal in 2003, and the youngest to EVER win a match in Miami.
Only three other players – Richard Gasquet, Nadal (four times) and Dinu Pescariu – have ever won a Masters 1000 match at a younger age than Kouame, since the Masters series commenced in 1990.
| No. | Player | Age | Event | Round | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Gasquet | 15 | 2002 Monte-Carlo | 1R | Franco Squillari |
| 2 | Rafael Nadal | 16 | 2003 Monte-Carlo | 1R | Karol Kucera |
| 3 | Rafael Nadal | 16 | 2003 Monte-Carlo | 2R | No. 7 Albert Costa |
| 4 | Rafael Nadal | 16 | 2003 Hamburg | 1R | Paul-Henri Mathieu |
| 5 | Rafael Nadal | 17 | 2003 Hamburg | 2R | No. 4 Carlos Moya |
| 6 | Dinu Pescariu | 17 | 1991 Monte-Carlo | 1R | Franco Davin |
| 7 | Moïse Kouamé | 17 (13 days) | 2026 Miami | 1R | Z. Svajda |
| 8 | Fabrice Santoro | 17 | 1990 Miami | 1R | Marc Rosset |
| 9 | Denis Shapovalov | 17 | 2016 Toronto | 1R | Nick Kyrgios |
| 10 | Fabrice Santoro | 17 | 1990 Hamburg | 1R | Petr Korda |
Kouame is also the first man born in 2009 or later to win an ATP Tour match. At 17 years and 13 days he will try his luck against Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic in the next round in Miami.
Kouame, who qualified for his first ATP main draw last month in Montpellier, is 6’3” tall, and likely still growing. He won back to back ITF titles earlier this year.
He told the ATP Tour that his idol was always Novak Djokovic when he was growing up.
Kouamé is of Ivorian descent through his father and Cameroonian descent through his mother. His older brother, Michaël, is also a tennis player.
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